Mario J. Pentón, The Miami Herald
Photo Credit: Univision's Story House

Yojany “Mamerto” Pérez, has long dreadlocks, a nose ring, numerous tattoos and a passion for extreme sport. He hangs off the walls of Havana highrises to paint and fix air conditioners to earn a decent wage. He earns extra money on the side as a baker, delivering treats at full speed aboard his skateboard, sometimes wearing a T-shirt with the word libertad (freedom) on his chest.

Pérez, 28, is one of the young skateboarders and the protagonist of “Havana Skate Days,” a feature film that portrays the new generation of adolescents and young Cubans living in a country outside the official dogmas.

“When I skate it is like escaping from problems, from society, from all this,” says Pérez. Skateboarding keeps him from “losing my sanity.” Through three years of shooting, the film documents Pérez as he watches his skateboarding friends — Fernando, Raciel and Yoan — emigrate to the United States.